Just 25 percent adults use Internet in India

SAN FRANCISCO: Despite talk of Digital India, only one in four in the country reported using the Internet in 2017, which is among the lowest in the world, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Centre. South Korea stands out as the most heavily connected society, with 96 per cent of adults reporting Internet use, showed the the survey conducted in 37 countries While majorities use the Internet in much of the world, sub-Saharan Africa and India has much to catch up with, according to the results released on Tuesday.Samrtphone ownership among adults in India went up from 12 per cent in 2013 to 22 per cent in 2017, while social media use went up from eight to 20 per cent during the same period. That means 78 per cent of adults in India do not own a smartphone and a whopping 80 per cent of the population in the country have no clue about Facebook or Twitter While the gap in Internet use between emerging and advanced economies has narrowed in recent years, there are still large swaths of the world where significant numbers of citizens do not use the Internet, the study said.Internet penetration rates–as measured by Internet use or smartphone ownership remain high in North America and much of Europe, as well as in parts of the Asia-Pacific. Yet, others are not far behind. In Australia, the Netherlands, Sweden, Canada, the US, Israel, the UK, Germany, France and Spain, roughly nine in 10 report Internet use. Regionally, sub-Saharan Africa is one of the least wired parts of the globe.